Thank you, Mr. Secretary General,I couldn’t agree more with the Secretary General. We need to work together so that the people of the Sahel can have both peace and development. The partners he mentioned... Show More + that are on this trip--and the many unsung heroes helping people on the ground--must coordinate closely to stop the destructive cycle of poverty and conflict.Following our historic visit to Africa's Great Lakes region in May, we are even more committed to this approach. We are committed because the stakes are so high. The people of the Sahel have lived for decades with threats to their survival. They have been battered by conflicts, political instability and a harsh and unpredictable environment.Now is the time to help them build more stable lives. They need better access to quality health care and education, as well as good jobs, especially for women and young people.The Secretary General and I will hear first-hand from Sahelian leaders next week. We know their nations suffer fro Show Less -

Climate change impacts are often experienced as water-related events, such as flooding, drought, or extreme storms. Extreme weather events associated with a changing climate carry both economic and human... Show More + costs. Economic losses from recent floods in Thailand, Pakistan, and Australia were devastating: in Thailand alone, losses due to flooding in 2011 resulted in losses of approximately $45 billion, or about 13 percent of GDP.When considering the human costs of climate change, it will be those least able to adapt – the poor and most vulnerable – that will be hit the hardest.“Looking forward, it is clear that water management practices of the past are no longer adequate. Transformations in behavior, institutions, and policies will be at the center of governments', companies', and our attention,” said Rachel Kyte, the World Bank’s vice president for sustainable development.Poor sanitation conditions exacerbated by extreme weather eventsRoughly 2.5 billion people lack access to sanitation an Show Less -

NEW YORK, September 24, 2012 — Pledging assistance toward a problem that affects more than a billion people mired in poverty, World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim announced today that the World... Show More + Bank will join a United Nations initiative aimed at increasing the poor’s access to electricity and clean household fuels. The effort also will expand renewable energy and enhance energy efficiency.Dr. Kim will co-chair a multi-stakeholder advisory board with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that will provide strategic guidance to the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, launched by Ban Ki-moon last fall. A UN General Assembly resolution named 2012 as a year devoted to sustainable energy for all.“Ending poverty and ensuring sustainability are the defining challenges of our time,” Kim said. “Energy is central to both of them.”An estimated 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity, and 2.7 billion depend on wood, charcoal, dung, and coal to cook meals and heat their homes.Dr. K Show Less -